Goodbye 2012

I know I haven't really been blogging a lot and I hate getting behind, so here I am, the last day of the year, here to wrap up 2012 and ring in 2013.

Josh and I have had a wonderful year.  We graduated from college, moved to beautiful southern California, Josh started his career, we moved into our very own apartment, and we welcomed Charlotte Lyn into this world.  So many changes within such a short amount of time and never a dull moment.  There have been a lot of memories made, laughs and tears.  This is a year that will be unforgettable. 

We have been grateful for so many things this year.  Always number one, the Gospel.  Speaking for the both of us, we are grateful for our testimonies of the Savior, for what he has done to make it possible for us to live as a family for eternity.  We are also grateful for our health.  This year has been so unpredictable with the pregnancy and we couldn't have asked for a more smooth ride through the whole process.  We are grateful for our families, for their support and help through everything we have been through.  Not just this year, but throughout our entire lives. 

Right now, we are sitting in Connecticut, ready to usher in 2013. Playing card games, eating delicious food, and thinking of all the New Year resolutions we hope we can remember past January.  Bring on 2013.  Thank you 2012 for the memories.  You have been good to us.

Happy New Year!

Newtown

Right outside Danbury.  An hour from New York City.  That's how we would describe where we spend our holidays with Josh's family.  Now, everyone throughout the country knows exactly where Newtown, CT is.  And not for any reason someone would want their city to be on the map.

I have been watching the news non-stop, reading about it online.  One reason, I can't believe this happened in Newtown.  As you have all heard, everyone is shocked.  This is a small, New England town.  Complete with a picturesque Main Street with the flag pole, town hall, library and movies you can watch for a couple dollars.  The homes are beautiful East Coast homes with columns and exposed brick.  A quiet town. 

As I watch the news now, I watch a couple talk about their daughter who was killed.  She loved horses and was getting cowgirl boots for Christmas.  Tears stream down my eyes.  I'm a mother and although I have only been a mother for three months, I cannot imagine something so tragic happening to my dear Charlotte.  She is the center of my universe.  My every thought is revolved around her.  I ache for these parents and other family members who lost their loved ones.  I think about my family members and cannot think of life without them in it.

As sad as this experience has made me, I am so grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.  Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know that this life is not the end.  That our relationships with our family will perpetuate beyond the grave.  That we will be reunited and live with our loved ones again as we strive to live righteous lives here on earth.  I feel so blessed to have a testimony of this.  I am grateful for the power of forgiveness.  I am sure there is a lot of hate towards the gunman, but we also can learn compassion and sadness for the life he was leading.  I feel for his family and hope that some answers come to surface of why he did this.

We are traveling to Newtown on Sunday.  As we are so excited to spend the Christmas holiday with Josh's family and have them all see how Charlotte has grown even from the last time they saw her, we are sad to what has happened to this quaint, little town.  I hope and pray for the residents of Newtown and want them to know that the rest of the country is mourning with them and is constantly thinking about them.  

Unexpected Happenings

When I was pregnant, I was determined that I would nurse my baby no matter what.  No matter the pain (what I was mainly expecting), I was going to push through and give my child the best.  I had heard so many stories of people who "gave up" and not that I ever judged, but I just thought, that won't be me.  I had a rough start and after the first week of a starving baby, I paid out of pocket to see a lactation specialist.  It was great and at the appointment my milk came in.  I never was in pain or felt engorged.  I finally got the hang of it and Charlotte was feeding.  But after my milk came in and a few weeks went by, she started getting really fussy after feedings and just didn't seem satisfied.  She was always hungry.  The lactation specialist had told me that my water pill was most likely suppressing my milk production.  But my doctors didn't really want me to go off the water pill because I'm on it for my heart.  Kinda important.  I bought a pump, thinking that would help and get more milk.  I was pumping pretty frequently until I went to Utah for a wedding.  I had given Charlotte a couple bottles of formula up until then and brought formula with me just in case.  Well let's just say, Charlotte loves formula.  I thought it might be because it's easier for her to drink, but she didn't like pumped milk.  Long story short, I was nursing throughout the night and in the mornings and then formula the rest of the day.  Well, finally I dried up and have no milk and Charlotte is solely on formula.  It was actually really sad to think there is no more hope.  Those moments where I could just pull Charlotte close to me were gone.  But I have to say, she is such a happy baby and it's all contributed to formula.  She is satisfied and full, I'm happy, it's convenient to have anyone feed her (especially Josh- now they can bond more).  There is something to be said for having a happy baby.  At first I felt a little guilty, but after talking to SEVERAL women and doctors, I feel like this is a good thing.  In the beginning I liked nursing, but then something switched and I just wasn't loving it the same.  Everything is so good now and everyone is happy.  Obviously every mother wants to nurse, it's natural.  It's free.  It's always there.  It helps you lose weight.  It has many benefits for baby.  But sometimes, things don't happen the way you plan and it's ok.  For all those other new moms, I really hope you can nurse and for those moms that nurse so effortlessly, I'm jealous.  But luckily there are other alternatives that have their benefits.  Sorry about my long post, but some things just need to be said because I know there is probably at least one new mom out there that had similar feelings as to what I went through. Who knows what will happen with the next child. 

Thanksgiving

Yes, I'm a little late but I thought I should finally put up Thanksgiving pictures (but my storage quota has been met...whatever that means).  Josh, Charlotte and I took our first family vacation to the hot state of Arizona to stay with Tahnee and Tyler.  It was a lot of fun.  Tyler was sick when we arrived, which was a bummer but that didn't stop our fun and him meeting Charlotte for the first time. 

Tahnee and I made our first homemade Apple pie.  It was actually really fun to make.  And I didn't even taste it :(   We went over to Josh's aunt and uncle's house with cousins as well.  It was great company and great food.  Tyler stayed behind, but we brought him plenty of food.

At 9:00 pm, Josh and I went to Target for some Black Friday shopping.  We were very shocked to see the crowd.  We have done Black Friday shopping the last couple years and have never seen crowds like this.  Arizona people know how to shop!  We got a few things and waited in line for an hour!!   Then we went back and got Tahnee and her and I went to the Scottsdale mall at midnight.  We thought it was a little empty and after walking the mall (with a bunch of teenagers) we looked up the hours and it didn't open til 6 am!  So we went to the mall Tahnee works at in Chandler and a few other stores. We didn't get back home til 6:30 am!  Then we hung out at their place and went back out shopping around 5:00 pm back to Scottsdale.  It was a fun day and we got some great deals.  To be honest, I usually shop for myself on Black Friday.  I got some fun stuff for Charlotte and I. 

The next day Tahnee wasn't feeling well but we still managed to have fun.  The boys saw a couple movies and Tahnee and I went shopping and hung out.  We decided to leave Saturday night opposed to Sunday (our original plan) to miss traffic.  We made it home in five hours.  Thanks Josh for driving the whole way.  I wish I could post pictures.  Maybe I'll put some on facebook.

Thanks Tahnee and Tyler for letting us stay with you.  Can't wait to have them for a week in January!!  Thanks to the Christensen's for hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Meeting Santa for the First Time

Monday, my mom and I took all the kids up to South Coast Plaza to sit on Santa's lap.  I have really been looking forward to this for some time.  Much to my surprise (probably reason being I'm a first-time mom), they charge you to use your OWN camera!  What?!  Anyway, we took some pictures, let my siblings ride the merry-go-round, got lunch and walked around.  With four kids and a stroller, it's a lot of work, but we managed!

 

November 7

November 7 marked Charlotte's two month birthday!  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to post at the moment, but she is my baby girl that is just growing like crazy.

Why did Heavenly Father make them babies for just a small part of their life and adults for the majority?  I love that she is so tiny and it makes me sad that she is already in her 0-3 month clothes.

She is still sleeping in our bed and we all three are loving it.  We just might be a "family bed" family after all.

Charlotte is loving a bottle.  Yes, I wanted to solely nurse, but this child is so much happier when given formula.  Not even a pumped bottle leaves her as satisfied!  This topic does call for a blog post all by itself, but doing 50/50 has been wonderful!

Her skinny thighs aren't so skinny anymore.  They are chunkin' up and we are loving it!  The other place where there is more to love...her cheeks.  I still think she is a skinny little thing, but we love when there is more sugar to love on!

She is awake a lot more during the day.  I love talking to her and basically having a one-sided conversation.  One night when Josh got home from work, he heard me talking to her and said, "is that how you talk to her all day?"  I said, "yeah, who else am I going to talk too?"  I love it and so does she.  One day she'll respond but I am enjoying the coos and smiles until then :)

She is obsessed with her Little Giraffe blanket.  It's so funny to me how a baby can get attached to something at such a young age.  This blanket can calm her down in no time.  She can't get enough.  She will instantly stop crying when this is right up against her face.  It's too bad it's so thick because a lot of times she will be sweaty after being wrapped in it.  But she obviously doesn't mind...she loves her blankie.  She came home from the hospital wrapped in it and I think she'll be carrying it throughout

She clenches very tight on to blankets and shirts til her fingertips are white.  And her toes are always up or spread apart.  I don't know why this little girl can't ever relax.  Josh thinks it's because I can't relax (although, I think I do).  Apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Charlotte finally made it to Disneyland also.  I don't know how she went for so long, but she made it and has been on some rides too.  She met with Disney Princesses and I'd say she is a huge Disney fan already!

Charlotte is seriously the center of my universe.  I can't even think of another child coming in and rocking our worlds haha.  Will Charlotte ever have a sibling?  That is up for debate ;)  I love this little girl and am so grateful everyday we got pregnant out of the blue and not according to "plans."

Sorry this is such a late post!

   

Look Who I Ran Into

Today I just so happen to run into Sister Christensen (Josh's cousin), serving a mission for our church in Laguna Niguel.  And she just so happen to have a suitcase she needed me to take home for her this week (Arizona).  Her are some pictures of our "coincidental" meeting.

Sister Christensen and Charlotte

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Forgot her companion's name...

The Happiest Place on Earth

It's official, we finally got Disneyland passes!!  We have not been since June (and for us, that's a long time) and we have been itching to go.  Once the holidays started nearing we knew we had to get there and take Charlotte for her first time!!  The first night we went, we got Charlotte's "First Visit" button and waited in line to see Minnie Mouse (we would have never done that just the two of us).  We went with Brian and Desiree earlier this week and again today!  It is our Christmas to each other (seriously) plus our date days/nights and entertainment for the next year. 

We have really enjoyed the new Cars Land.  We love the new California Adventures and how they have really redone so much of it.  The detail that Disney puts into EVERYTHING is incredible and never ceases to amaze us. 

First outfit until Charlotte puked all over herself!

Master Bedroom- A Work in Progress

My bedroom has been a project in the making...and yet, I'm still it done! But I'm so excited about the pieces that I have put together recently, I thought about doing a sneak peek and letting you in on my decor secrets. Well, actually there is so secret at all. So far, I've bought everything at Target for my room. 

I knew I wanted a pin tuck comforter. I'd seen them on West Elm and Anthro's website but knew I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. I just kept doing my due diligence and OOLA I found it at Target! Josh and I both wanted white. We may regret that later, but it works for now! 

Two of the throw pillows are from my couch, but I decided to save some money on MORE and put them on the bed. The smaller blue one is from my last bed with no intentions on keeping it. Glad I did!

While browsing the ends of Target isles (where all the sale stuff is), I saw the quilt and after looking at the tag ($10), I knew I had to incorporate it. This is what will bring alley colors together! My room is white, with a white comforter and white dresser...I need more color! After seeing this, I decided I would go with more of a rustic look in the bedroom. More homey and cozy.

Since we have moved in, nightstands have been on my mind everyday. I have yet to find the ones I want in my price range. In the meantime, I'll just place these wonderful lamps on the floor. I found the first lamp on the sale isle and put it in my cart in hopes to find a match at another Target. Then I went down the lamp isle and asked the Target team member if he could look these up at another location. Sure enough, the Foothill Ranch store had some. Before I get to ahead of myself, the lamp base was on sale for $14 and the shade for $10. Great deal, right? After browsing the rest of the lamps, we found the same shade and base both full price :( The base- $40 and the shade- $20. Bummer. I was trying to get him to mark them down but he kept saying I don't know why they are full price! When it was time to check out, I found a teenage boy at one of the cash registers and told him I found one on sale, can I get the other on sale. He said YES! I got each full lamp for $24 opposed to $60!! Talk about a fluke! 

These pictures don't do it justice, but my room is coming together quite well and I can't wait for the FINISHED result! 

Happy Halloween!

 Last night, we took Charlotte to her first pumpkin patch at Pumpkin City.  I have grown up going to Pumpkin City and always looked forward to taking my own family :)  We wanted to take her out Trick-or-Treating tonight with her aunts and uncles, but she was asleep when everyone left and we didn't want to disturb her.  Next year though...although, she still might be too young.  Josh and I went with my dad and the kids tonight around the neighborhood to be a little festive.  Then I had to go back to feed my child!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

Utah Trip and Meg's Wedding

Josh and I never anticipated our return to Utah to be so soon after we left just a few months ago; but when Meg announced she was getting married in October in UTAH, we were excited to return.  i have to admit, it was a bit emotional as I drove back to the condo where Josh and I started our married life.  It was so weird to be there all week knowing it wasn't my home anymore.  But we all have to move on eventually, right?  I went up on Tuesday, October 23 and spent all week with the Whitmores.  It was so fun for everyone to finally meet Charlotte.  Josh joined us on Friday night.  We don't want to be apart again...like ever.  Even though it was only a few days, Josh was texting and calling all day everyday while I constantly sent pictures of Charlotte.  He did not like being away from his baby!  The wedding day (Saturday) was gorgeous and everything turned out perfectly.  The day started out with a breakfast at the Lion House hosted by Adam's parents (Thank you Jenny and Mic!).  After a great meal, we all headed up to the Bountiful temple where the sealing was performed.  Meg and Adam were a stunning couple.  We took pictures then headed back to the condo to relax a bit before the reception.  The reception was at Sleepy Ridge in Orem and it was so beautiful!  The whole day was fantastic! 

More details and pictures to come!

Tahnee's Weekend in CA

I know I'm a lot behind on blogging but I finally am sitting down, ready to update the entire public on what we have been up too lately!

Two weekend ago, Tahnee came to California for a few different events and let's be honest, seeing her niece was at the top of her list ;)

We got together with some cousins...

Went to Paige and Darren's Sealing...

The Pitts/Tippets were in town...